IMLS Awards Nearly $30 Million in Federal Grants to Museums across the U.S.

IMLS Awards Nearly $30 Million in Federal Grants to Museums across the U.S.

Museum grantees will be recognized at Washington, D.C. event

Washington, DC—Across the country museums are innovating to engage their communities, creating exciting new learning experiences, and caring for and making accessible their rich collections. This year the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) awarded grants totaling nearly $30 million for 244 projects at museums of all types, from art museums to science centers, from aquariums to history museums.

On September 18, IMLS Director Susan Hildreth will honor the grantees at a workshop and ceremony in Washington, D.C. Representative Paul Tonko (D-NY) will give remarks. Grant recipients from across the country will also attend.

Funding for IMLS grants is provided through an appropriation from Congress. The September 18th event is an opportunity for members of Congress and their staff to see how museums across the country will use these funds to support learning experiences, serve as community anchors, and safeguard the nation’s cultural and scientific heritage represented by their collections. See the IMLS media advisory for details and to RSVP.

“The nation’s 17,500 museums are trusted spaces where people can follow their passions and connect with their communities in new ways, where treasured collections are used to create unique learning places,” said Hildreth. “The American people can be proud of these federal investments that help support the educational and cultural life of the nation.”

The funding, awarded through the agency’s five museum grant programs, its cooperative and interagency agreements, and the National Medal for Museum Service, supports a wide variety of projects. They include exhibits; onsite and offsite arts and education programming; projects to digitize collections; partnerships to reach underserved neighborhoods and to address community needs; projects for people with disabilities and underserved populations; conservation of threatened or fragile collections, including living collections in zoos and botanical gardens; creative physical spaces for hands-on learning; internships; “makerspaces” and STEM-based learning projects; and much more.

About the Institute of Museum and Library Services
The Institute of Museum and Library Services is the primary source of federal support for the nation’s 123,000 libraries and 17,500 museums. Our mission is to inspire libraries and museums to advance innovation, lifelong learning, and cultural and civic engagement. Our grant making, policy development, and research help libraries and museums deliver valuable services that make it possible for communities and individuals to thrive. To learn more, visit www.imls.gov and follow us on Facebook and Twitter.